Significant reduction of incorrect viewings for micro-apartments
-40%
Marketing
+50%
Requests
100%
Achieved price
The Challenge
Leipzig Living GmbH faced a time-consuming challenge in renting out a newly constructed residential complex for student housing in Leipzig. While the modern micro-apartments offered first-class amenities and an excellent location near the university, the compact living space of an average of 22 square meters led to significant efficiency problems in sales. The conventional, purely two-dimensional black-and-white sketches in the online brochure could not convey the clever and highly functional layout in any meaningful way. As a result, the real estate team was overwhelmed by a massive wave of viewing requests, which, on-site, mostly turned out to be classic misappointments. Many prospective tenants had completely incorrect ideas about the actual proportions and layout of the compact apartments. Organizing countless individual appointments consumed valuable personnel resources and significantly delayed the rental process. In addition, the sophisticated young target group also expected a contemporary, transparent, and fully digital presentation of the property data directly during online research, in order to minimize time-consuming viewings in advance (a need for digital guidance that also makes indoor navigation for trade fair halls so relevant on a larger scale).
Our Solution
FotoEstate developed a comprehensive package of professional, perfectly coordinated 2D and 3D floor plans, specifically optimized for marketing compact living spaces. To create maximum clarity, our graphic designers first prepared the classic plans as clear, color-structured 2D floor plans, which at a glance showed all the important measurements as well as the placement of doors, windows, and connections. In addition, we created photorealistic 3D floor plans that provided the viewer with an intuitive bird's-eye view of the three-dimensional space. In these renderings, our interior designers integrated scale-accurate, modern, and functional furnishings precisely tailored to student needs—including a workspace, kitchenette, and smart storage solutions. Through the exact calculation of lighting conditions, shadows, and various surface textures such as wooden floors and wall colors, FotoEstate transformed the abstract floor plan data into a vivid, immediately understandable spatial concept.
The Result
The implementation of the new 2D and 3D floor plans at Leipzig Living GmbH led to an immediate and noticeable optimization of the entire sales process. The number of time-consuming incorrect viewings on site dropped sharply, as prospective tenants developed an absolutely realistic understanding of the room layout and furniture placement possibilities even before making contact. The conversion rate of inquiries improved dramatically. The entire student housing complex in Leipzig was fully rented out within a very short time and completely before the start of the new semester. The planned marketing period was reduced by a remarkable 40%, guaranteeing the developer seamless planning security and maximum rental income without vacancy. At the same time, the quality of incoming online inquiries increased by over 50%. The excellent return on investment impressively demonstrated that precise visual floor plan solutions are the decisive key for highly efficient asset management.
Project Deep Dive: Process & Details
The initial situation: A demanding marketing
On the dynamic Leipzig real estate market, student housing is indeed in high demand, but marketing micro-apartments comes with very specific sales challenges. Leipzig Living GmbH had completed a modern property that met the highest energy and functional standards. In practice, however, it quickly became apparent that empty or purely photographically depicted small spaces are often perceived incorrectly on common online portals. Without a clear spatial context, 22 square meters quickly appear cramped and uncomfortable in photos. Standard marketing approaches reached their limits here, as they could not visually convey the architectural achievement of offering maximum comfort in minimal space adequately.
The hurdle: Overcoming uncertainty in potential customers
The biggest hurdle for the sales team was the ongoing uncertainty of potential tenants regarding the usability of the apartments. Young people and their parents, who often sign the rental agreements, repeatedly asked the same questions: Will a full-sized desk fit next to the bed? How much space is left for clothes and personal belongings? This lack of spatial imagination led to a flood of purely informational inquiries and countless viewings, where the interested parties only realized on-site that the layout did not match their personal expectations. This inefficiency in everyday operations blocked important capacities of the real estate company and strained the budget.
The concept: Visual excellence and attention to detail
The team at FotoEstate designed a custom visualization concept that focused on absolute transparency and intuitive comprehensibility. The goal was to completely relieve the viewer of the cognitive work of space planning. Our concept included a combination of optimized two-dimensional plans for the technical facts and three-dimensional renderings for the emotional spatial effect. We planned the virtual furnishing of the apartments with modern, bright designer furniture to demonstrate how skillfully the various functional areas of sleeping, working, cooking, and living can be separated from each other and optimally used in the micro-apartments.
The Implementation: Technology Meets Craft
The technical implementation was carried out by our experienced 3D artists based on the original execution plans of the architect. First, the 2D floor plans were completely cleaned up graphically, provided with clear color coding systems, and optimized for digital viewing on smartphones. In parallel, the rooms were accurately reconstructed in a powerful 3D CGI environment. A special focus was placed on physically correct lighting calculations: we simulated the exact daylight incidence through the large window fronts to give the apartments a friendly, open, and airy atmosphere. Every texture, from the carpet to the kitchen surface, was rendered in high resolution to ensure maximum authenticity.
The result: A flawless marketing success
The relaunch of the rental campaign with the professional floor plan solutions from FotoEstate exceeded all expectations of Leipzig Living GmbH. The feedback from the student target group was consistently positive, as the apartments could now be experienced perfectly digitally. The number of unqualified viewing appointments decreased drastically, while the closing rate at the remaining on-site appointments increased massively. The entire property could be fully rented well before the planned deadline. Leipzig Living GmbH was deeply impressed by the enormous increase in efficiency and the associated cost savings in sales, and will henceforth use the 2D and 3D floor plans from FotoEstate as a standard for all future large-scale projects.
What our partners say
"The before-and-after pictures of our renovation properties have become a fantastic marketing tool thanks to Fotoestate."
"Very considerate team. We were still living in the property, and the shoot went extremely relaxed."
"Drone flights, interior shots, and virtual tours from a single source – that saves us an enormous amount of time."
"The retouching of distracting elements in the outdoor area was perfect. Very natural result."
"Our gastronomy properties are presented incredibly appealingly and atmospherically by Fotoestate."
"I have been using the pictures for years with every tenant change. They still look modern and top-notch."
"The before-and-after pictures of our renovation properties have become a fantastic marketing tool thanks to Fotoestate."
"Very considerate team. We were still living in the property, and the shoot went extremely relaxed."
"Drone flights, interior shots, and virtual tours from a single source – that saves us an enormous amount of time."
"The retouching of distracting elements in the outdoor area was perfect. Very natural result."
"Our gastronomy properties are presented incredibly appealingly and atmospherically by Fotoestate."
"I have been using the pictures for years with every tenant change. They still look modern and top-notch."
Ready for the next marketing success?
Send us your pictures or floor plans. We will advise you free of charge on which visualizations will bring the highest return on investment for your property.